Essex boy asks King Charles to save Shoeburyness trees
- Published
Young eco-campaigner Ricky wrote to the King asking for help to protect threatened trees
An eight-year-old boy who wrote to King Charles III asking for his help to save trees due to be chopped down by a developer has been thanked by the Palace for his "thoughtful letter".
Ricky asked the King to help save 62 trees in Shoeburyness, Essex, to make way for Taylor Wimpey homes.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the trees were covered by a protection order.
Taylor Wimpey said the trees were dying or low quality and would be replaced.
Ricky, from Rayleigh, in Essex, became concerned about the trees on the former Cantel Medical Ltd site in Campfield Road after his uncle, Tim Fransen, began campaigning against their removal.
The trees in question include mature cedars, maples, oaks and sycamores.
Ricky was delighted to have received a letter from the King's correspondent
In his letter to King Charles, the young eco-campaigner wrote: "There are trees, insects and birds in my city. That are really pretty to look at and fun to look at, but I heard that Mr Taylor Wimpey and friends are cutting down the trees and hurting the birds and insects. That makes me feel really sad.
"Can you please help save the trees, insects and birds? I learnt at school they are really important to me and the planet. Trees give us oxygen and help keep the air clean. Insects and birds pollinate plants. We need them to be happy and healthy."
King Charles's head of royal correspondence said while the King could not become involved personally, he thanked Ricky for his "thoughtful letter".
The letter added: "His Majesty is deeply committed to the natural world.
"As King, His Majesty continues to support and celebrate global efforts towards a more sustainable future."
A spokesman for developer Taylor Wimpey said: "Preserving and enhancing biodiversity is a key consideration when we plan and build new developments and we have sought to protect and retain the highest quality trees on-site.
"Our proposals, prepared in close consultation with Southend City Council tree officers and following an assessment by an independent arboriculturist, include the planting of 112 new trees and 540 hedges to replace the 62 low quality or dying trees that will be removed in line with our planning permission, external.
"All but one of the mature trees, which is suffering from ash dieback, within the development boundary will be retained."
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